Janus Masks
by Kayasuri-n
Summary: AU Life is tough. What mask you wear to face it is up to you. Garfield Logan centric, minor Robin/Starfire. Updated!
1. Chapter 1

_AU. Life is tough. What mask you wear to face it is up to you. Garfield Logan centric, minor Robin/Starfire._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans franchise, I'm just helping myself to the ready-made characters and viewing them through a shattered looking glass. It's fun. Happy Halloween._

Slade stood beside his throne, looking down at the HIVE headmistress. His hands were clasped behind his back, his mask was on, and there was nothing about his stance that could help her decide whether he was murderous, or merely irritated.

"I assure you," she said, doing her best to keep her voice steady, "such failures are not tolerated within the HIVE." She paused, in case Slade wished to say anything. He did not. "Once the agents have been retrieved from the authorities, they will be disciplined." She hit her fist into the palm of her other hand. She flinched back a little, when Slade narrowed his eye, and cleared her throat. "Strictly disciplined."

Slade finally moved, walking down several steps so his eye level was only three feet above hers, instead of five. "Actually, your agents served my plans quite well. I never expected them to succeed. They were merely messengers. And the message has been received."

He shifted, until he was holding one hand up for the headmistress's perusal. It was a transmitter, a sibling to the one he had given Gizmo. She looked from the transmitter to his masked face, and then back.

Behind the mask, Slade smirked, and activated the transmitter. A monitor behind the headmistress turned on.

She turned, and her eyes widened at the sight. Robin, holding Gizmo in the air. The tape seemed to be stuck on a loop, playing so Robin's words- 'who is Slade?'- repeated over and over.

Slade turned the monitor off by turning off the transmitter. "The team has done exactly as I hired them for. The money has already been transferred to the drop off point." He walked down the last few steps, and nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Allow me to show you out."

"Y-yes. Thank you. Most kind of you." The headmistress clutched one hand at her throat, and followed Slade out.

He opened the door for her, and escorted the headmistress to her car. "Have a good day, Adeline," he said, nodding his head in a way that suggested a bow. The headmistress paled, and drove just a little fast down the road. Slade's smile was hidden by the mask.

When he returned, he glanced over at a shadowed corner. "You were listening?"

"That was dramatic." The boy tilted his head back, and stared up at the ceiling. "And a waste of time."

"Do I need to remind you of the terms of our contract?"

"Hardly," the boy drawled. "Evaluate the Titans. Eliminate them. Kiss Brotherhood butt."

Slade blinked, and smirked. "Not that last one." Where did the boy get his ideas?

"Oh, good. I doubt the gorilla bathes."

**Chapter One**

_Rage shall consume all! Rage shall destroy all! Rage shall rip that disgusting HIVE into pieces for throwing us from __**our**__ tower!_

Raven forced down unreasonable anger- making a mental note to slap Rage in chains as soon as she could meditate- and gestured with one hand. The disarray in her closet neatened, the rumpled leotards and cloaks lifting up off the floor, or floating off the hangers. Everything would have to be washed, of course. As she watched, the tangled sheets and blankets pulled away from the bed. The mattress covers followed, wrapping around everything else and floating over to set down next to the door, awaiting a trip to the laundry room.

She sucked in a breath, and clenched her teeth. It was reasonable, she thought, to be irritated at the invasion of her privacy. It was certainly reasonable to be dismayed at the amount of damage one pink haired witch had done to her room and her belongings. But it was most certainly _not_ reasonable to imagine ripping said pink haired witch's intestines out and strangling her with them!

_Rage!_ She snapped, mentally. _That is enough! If you cannot be 'constructive', you will be silent. And constructive does _not_ mean thinking up new ways to torture the H.I.V.E!_

She felt Rage mutter, and drift into a distant corner of Raven's mind, taking away a great deal of the anger. There was still plenty left, thanks to Bravery and Rude, but Wisdom had them well in hand. There would certainly be no nonsense with power surges, not with only those two to worry about, at least.

Raven sighed, and closed her eyes. There was a great deal of damage done to her room. Quite apart from her clothing and bedclothes, everything Raven owned was on the floor, broken in some way. Her tragedy-comedy masks were on the floor, split apart. It would likely be an easy fix, though not while her powers continued to fluctuate as her Emotions warred amongst themselves.

"Raven?"

Raven jumped, her powers reaching out and snapping several of her already broken incense sticks. "Yes, Starfire?" she asked, gathering up the incense pieces and moving them over to the trash can. She could already see that she would need a bigger can, or better yet, a bag.

"I was wondering if you would go to the mall of shopping with me."

Raven looked over her shoulder, and sighed. Starfire was standing on the floor, not floating, hands clasped before her chest and her eyes large and liquid looking.

A harder soul then Rave's would have given in at the look Starfire gave her. "I have to replace several things. When I am done cleaning up, we will go," Raven told her.

"Thank you!" Starfire lit up, lifting several inches into the air. "This is most glorious! I am certain you will enjoy yourself."

"Quite. But I have to clean up now."

"Of course. I shall be cleaning in the room of the television for when you are done."

Raven turned back to her room, and shifted the incense burner over to the trash can. Cracked in half, just what had that witch been doing, hexing everything?

She finally headed to the kitchen, with the simple goal of getting a garbage bag. Save her bed and bookshelves, there was nothing salvageable in her room. The spells she had placed on her bookshelves appeared to have stood up admirably against whatever forces Jinx had hit them with, as had the spells on the bed. A good investment, those spells, Raven decided. They didn't just work against her occasionally destructive powers.

_I told you they would be useful,_ Wisdom murmured, before subsiding. Raven gave a mental nod of agreement, pulling a garbage bag out of the box.

"Raven!" Starfire grinned. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Not just yet," Raven said. "I need to take out the trash. Then I'll be right with you."

It was tempting to work slowly, by hand. That was Rude's influence, of course, the Emotion least concerned with others. Raven shoved Rude aside, and gestured with both hands. The trash, which had been piled in the center of her room, lifted up and floated to the garbage bag, which had opened up and hung in the air, waiting.

In moments, she was finished. The garbage bag knotted itself, floating outside the room to rest against the far wall. The laundry bundle lifted into the air, then, heading down to the laundry room. Only the bedclothes would actually be washed. Raven's cloaks and leotards required only a little water to activate the cleanings spells she had cast on them.

Really, she was the most self sufficient Titan on the team. Her magic took care of most nuisances, such as dusting, or keeping the carpet in her room clean. And unlike some, she knew how to cook _and_ clean up afterwards. Well, washing the dishes was accomplished by a small spell, but even if she didn't have magic, she would have managed better then either of the boys. Robin could cook- at least, he didn't set anything on fire, as Cyborg occasionally did- but he didn't know how to clean up after himself. And Cyborg… well, the less said about his cooking, the better.

"Starfire," she said, pausing in the doorway. "I'm ready to go."

Starfire lit up, and squealed. Her joy pressed on Raven's mental shield, as bright and strong as the alien herself. "You are? Glorious! Come, friend, let us go! Robin, Cyborg, is there anything you would like us to pick up?"

"No video games," Raven said. She pulled her hood up to shadow her face.

Robin shook his head. "In that case, we'll go ourselves. Thanks anyways, though."

"Where is Cyborg?" Raven asked, moving towards the windows. "In the garage?"

"Where else?" Robin said. "I don't know which he was more worried about- the lack of food, or what Gizmo might have done to his things."

Raven sighed. She supposed she would have to go grocery shopping, then. "Don't worry about the food. I'll take care of it."

With that, she lifted into the air, and followed Starfire out one of the open windows. She could just feel the beginnings of a headache at the base of her skull. In preparation for the crowds in her near future, she whispered a brief incantation that would strengthen her shields and lower her empathy. Even so, she doubted it would be much help. It never was.

0O0

"Apprentice!" Slade rubbed at his forehead. There was really only one place his apprentice would be, and yelling would get him nothing more than a headache. His apprentice liked to pretend that he had ordinary hearing, instead of the heightened senses Slade _knew_ he had.

He walked towards the kitchen, and wasn't surprised to hear the sounds of eating. His apprentice was an active teenager in the midst of a series of growth spurts, yet seemed convinced that if he only ate just a little bit more he could gain muscle. Unlikely, considering the boy had always been a skinny little thing. Perhaps once his frame had finished developing, he would fill out, but until then his efforts were useless.

Then again, Slade thought as he regarded his apprentice, it might simply be just another growth spurt. Slade did remember his own growing years, not at all fondly. Hunger pains that felt worse than a fist to the stomach, aching joints, as if he had been seventy instead of seventeen, and hormones running rampant. It was no surprise that the boy ate so much, slept so much, and thought so little.

"Apprentice," Slade snapped. "Why are you not training?"

The boy looked up, and arched one eyebrow. It was a habit he had picked up from Wintergreen, some time in his childhood. He had also taken to calling the butler 'uncle', for some twisted reason Slade had yet to discover. "I finished my training."

"Did you? That was quick."

"When I know the katas off by heart, it'd better be. When am I going to do something new?" The boy took another bite of his lasagna.

"Tonight." Slade smirked, taking a great deal of enjoyment at how the boy's eyes bulged out as he chewed furiously.

Only after he'd swallowed did the boy speak. "Tonight? You mean it? What am I going to do?"

"You will infiltrate the Titans and gain their trust." Slade sat down at the table across from the boy. "And this is how you will do it."

The boy leaned forward, eyes shining, food forgotten, and smiled as Slade began to outline the plan.

0O0

Raven watched as the last of the groceries settled in their proper places. Out of necessity, she had neatened the kitchen as well, putting away appliances left out and setting aside the ones that were broken. Cyborg would want to look at them, and decide whether he wanted to try fixing them or not.

Especially the toaster. For some reason, Cyborg was a bit fond of it- perhaps because it had survived the two years that the Titans had already been together, perhaps because it was one of the few things he had brought to the tower. Raven did not pretend to understand her teammates, even with her empathy.

"I need to meditate," she muttered, rubbing at her forehead. She was starting to _think_ in tangents, never a good sign.

She headed up for the roof. She tended to meditate up there, in good weather. It usually ensured her privacy, and it was certainly nicer then her room.

"Raven?"

She paused, one hand on the stairwell door. "Yes, Robin?"

"Could you handle patrol tonight?" Robin raked a hand through his hair. It did nothing for his hair style, Raven noticed, simply made it look messier then it had. "Cyborg is running through our systems, looking for bugs, and I promised I'd pick him up a few things at the hardware store. And Star's going with me, for the heavier things."

Patrol? After fighting with the HIVE all day? "And you would prefer not to leave the city alone, is that correct?" she asked. Already she knew that, night patrol or not, she would be expected to join the morning training. Wonderful.

"Yeah. So, if you wouldn't mind…?"

"I don't mind. If you will excuse me, though, I have to meditate."

Robin nodded, and headed down the hall towards the elevator. Raven watched him go, before entering the stairwell. A moment later, and her soul-self flew up, wings moving through air and concrete stairs with equal ease. In a far shorter time then if she had taken the elevator, Raven had reached the roof. Her soul-self moved through the door, shrinking and solidifying into her physical form.

She moved over to a corner of the roof, and folded her legs in the lotus position. Meditation was easy, familiar and comforting.

One by one, she dealt with her emotions- Happy, nearly glowing from the trip to the mall with Starfire; Timid, terrified that Robin sending her off on patrol was simply a way to get rid of her; Rage, who was nearly incoherent and needed to be chained up and locked in Raven's mental basement; Rude, who made several suggestions that earned her the right to Raven's mental closet… On it went. It took perhaps an hour to finish dealing with the Emotions. After that, Raven was able to meditate without internal interruptions.

At six, she rose out of meditation, returning to the physical world. She opened her eyes, and winced a little. Of course she would be staring straight at the setting sun.

Raven flowed into her soul-self form, and dove down through the ceiling. She would make something to eat, give herself a half hour to digest, and then begin patrol.

The kitchen was empty. In fact, Raven realized, doing a quick, empathic search for her teammates, the entire Tower was empty. With that realization, Raven relaxed slightly. She opened the fridge, and pulled out the eggs. She was in the mood for an omelet. And while she trusted her teammates, she didn't feel comfortable around them when eating.

She had yet to figure out why, though. Perhaps it was Timid's influence and the fear of looking a mess.

She finished quickly, and washed the dishes before moving out to the living room. She had left a book out there. Time to see if it had survived.

It had, though the pages were badly bent and in several cases, ripped. A muttered spell put that to rights, though, and Raven settled in for a half hour of quiet reading.

By the time she was finished her half hour, the sky outside had darkened to a shade somewhere between violet and navy blue. Raven opened a window and then simply stood, admiring the view, before floating out into the open air. She shut the window behind her with a gesture, and then lifted higher, turning to face the city.

Jump City was alive with light and darkness. Many of the buildings were lit up. There were just as many shadows beneath those lit buildings, though, which was where Raven would concentrate her attentions.

She sighed, and flew out over the ocean to the city. She was hardly one to begrudge a few hours of patrol, especially when it was Jump City and she was a Titan- but she had left her book at an interesting part, Robin would insist on an early hour for morning training, and it was a night more suited to simply flying, not looking for trouble.

Nevertheless, Raven would do her duty.

0O0

Animal took a deep breath of city air, and tried not to gag. Great, he breathed in right while walking past an overflowing trash bin. Way to kill the old nose, Animal.

He snorted at himself, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Even the smell of rotting garbage wasn't _nearly_ as offensive as it might have been. He was on his own, in Jump City's downtown, at 0200 hours. There was any number of lowlife degenerates around who could, at any moment, decide he had something worth stealing. He could handle them, he knew he could, but it was all about image, wasn't it?

"_Emphasize your appearance. Wear clothing a size too big, hunch your shoulders, move like a skittish animal."_

"_Look like a victim."_

"_Precisely."_

Look like a victim. Not hard, not when his stomach was roiling from a mess of excitement and nerves, when he knew he didn't have Slade's watchful eye on him in case the situation went bad. In the dark, the color of his skin wouldn't be as noticeable. The points of his ears were hidden by his hair, worn just a little too long. Slade had always insisted on it, for those nights when Animal had to go out without his outfit.

There was a jewelry store up ahead, on the corner. A small one, the sort the middle class went to get their engagement rings and fancy pocket watches from. The door was open, and an alarm was blaring.

Wouldn't it be better if he looked like he wanted to be a hero? Wouldn't that get their attention? If he didn't get jumped- if he stopped a robbery, there'd be the police, reporters, he'd get his face in the news, they'd have to look in on him then, wouldn't they?

Wasn't that more reliable then trying to get into trouble? The Titans couldn't be everywhere, couldn't save anyone. He didn't even know if there'd be anyone patrolling at this hour.

Animal bit his lip. Slade had told him what to do. If he stopped the robbery, wasn't that like saying he knew better then Slade?

He looked around, and listened for sirens. He could hear better then a human, but not quite as good as Slade probably thought. His nose was better, his eyes better still.

Normal eyes would have never have picked out a blue cloak up in the air, at least five hundred feet back and up. Details weren't exactly available at that distance, but only a Titan would be flying around the city at night. Animal grinned, and turned back to the jewelry store. It wouldn't matter now if the cops were coming. There was a Titan in the air, the Titans responded to things like robberies when they were happening right under their noses.

Slade wouldn't have known there would be a Titan patrolling just as a jewelry store was being robbed. It was circumstance, that was all.

Animal rolled up his sleeves, and flexed his fingers. Cat claws extended from the tips.

He could look like a victim, but he'd never be one. Now, time to go play hero for the Titan audience.

0O0

Raven frowned a little at the alarm. She had just been ready to turn back and return to the tower. She needed her sleep. For a moment, she thought about passing it by. There would be patrol cars heading towards the store already, they'd get there in moments.

No. She could not in good conscience ignore the alarm. A Titan would put in an appearance. She just hoped no one expected her to be coherent.

0O0

The jewelry store was empty. Animal's ears twitched, and he half closed his eyes. He couldn't hear anything breaking in the backroom, but the thief had to have gone there. The only other place to go was the bathroom. The main room, with the cheep jewelry still in the cases, didn't even have so much as a mouse moving around.

He headed for the backroom.

There was nothing to warn him, no flicker from the corner of his eye, no touch, barely any sound. Just the softest footstep he'd ever heard and a whistling noise, something being brought down very fast.

Animal dove forward. He rolled and came up in a guard position, facing the thief.

The thief had been hiding in the washroom. The thief had a crowbar. And the thief was attacking.

Animal ducked several wild swings, and threw a punch. The thief blocked, and kicked him back onto one of the display cases.

Broken glass and fancy wrist watches dug into Animal's back. He ignored the scratches and got to his feet just in time to have them kicked out from under him. He came down hard on his elbow, and then grunted when the thief kicked him in the stomach.

Damn it! Hadn't he been trained by Slade, a master of martial arts if there ever was one? How was one common criminal managing to land so many hits?

He shifted into the form of a hyena, and snarled.

The thief brought the crowbar down on top of his head.

The fight blurred. Later, Animal wouldn't know whether it was because he was shifting forms so quickly, or because the thief had been so fast, or whether it had simply been because he'd almost lost control. His memories were more like photographs, taken by someone else, about an event he'd had nothing to do with.

He remembered being flung into another display case, of one big shard of glass digging into his shoulder and not having the time to pull it out.

He remembered turning into a cougar and swiping the thief's ribs, drawing blood, only to be kneed in the chin seconds later. The taste of his own blood in his mouth, because he'd bitten his tongue.

Shifting into a constrictor snake and moving fast, to immobilize and crush the enemy. The thief was faster, and stomped down on his ribs, hard.

At one point he was human, and the crowbar was coming at his knees, and for some reason he couldn't dodge.

And then he was flying through the air and something was shattering and he was so cold. So cold.

And then there was nothing.

0O0

She was tired. It was her only excuse. She had not flown fast enough and so a man had been thrown through a window. She could see a man running away from the back of the store, but given a choice between catching a criminal or saving a life, she chose the life.

Uselessly, she put on speed, arrowing down to the sidewalk. The first thing she checked was that the man had a heart beat. He did. The second thing she did was curse, as quietly and venomously as she could.

_Calm yourself, Raven. You won't be able to help anyone if you don't,_ Wisdom whispered.

Raven nodded, and took several deep breaths. She couldn't go after the person who had run away. The man in front of her was badly injured, would die if she didn't do something. She couldn't just _leave_ him.

She'd have to heal him.

She took another breath, one that shuddered the slightest bit, and then called the healing energy to her fingertips. The taste of mint filled her mouth, and every breath she took tingled in the back of her throat.

She ran her glowing hands over the man's head and through his hair, dislodging shards of glass. Blood stained her hands, but she could feel the many slices in his scalp closing up. There was a knot the size of her fist on top of his head, and one twice that on the back. She healed both, and moved her hands to his neck. His spine wasn't broken, but there was some bruising around it, possible nerve damage from some of the slices. She healed it, and moved down to his chest.

He had broken ribs. They weren't life threatening, so Raven left them alone. She could feel her energy start to flag as she worked, and she needed to focus only on what would kill him if left untreated. She checked his pelvis, which wasn't broken, and ran her hands down his legs.

One knee was shattered, the other dislocated and cracked. She partially healed the broken knee, and continued down to his feet, which were unharmed. She moved back up and checked his arms, which were mottled with bone bruises, but weren't broken. She left the bruises alone and sat back on her heels.

He should have been waking up by now. If he'd had a concussion, she'd healed it. At the very least she should sense some awareness from him, unconsciousness moving to sleep.

_His back,_ one of her Emotions whispered. _You didn't check his back._

_Of course,_ she thought back. _There was all the glass in his hair, how could I have forgotten?_

As gently as possible, Raven rolled the man over onto his stomach, and hissed despite herself. His back was a mess of cuts and blood. There were still shards of glass in the wounds.

She couldn't leave the glass in his back, but she couldn't let go of the healing energy either. She couldn't use her magic while healing. She would have to pluck each piece of glass by hand, and hope she didn't slice her fingers open and get an infection.

She started with the largest pieces, for they were the easiest to get. Though, 'large' was simply by comparison. The largest piece was in his shoulder, and the most she could touch was the size of her thumbnail, slippery with blood and sharp enough to cut. She managed to get it out though, and sealed the injury with one glowing finger.

In the end, she removed the largest pieces of glass, and healed the worst of the cuts. She had no energy for anything more. He would have to go to the hospital, and the doctors would have to get the rest of the glass out. She had just enough energy to fly to the Tower, and that was it.

She sat back on her heels again, just as the police cars pulled up. The healing hadn't taken as long as she had thought, then. Only five minutes, perhaps, from landing beside the injured man, to running out of energy.

"Raven! Do you know what happened here?" One of the police officers stepped forwards, one hand on his gun.

"Someone tried to rob the jewelry store, I don't know who. He threw this man out through the window, and I was a little distracted making sure he didn't die."

Raven stood up, and nearly fell to one knee. The officer grabbed her elbow and held her steady until she had her feet back under her.

"It was a good thing for him that it was you out on patrol tonight, then," the officer said, and stepped back. "I think you should get back to your tower, get some rest. Don't worry about him."

Raven nodded her accord and lifted into the air.

"Uh, Raven?"

She sighed, and looked over. "Yes?"

It was a different police officer. Robin knew all their names, she thought, and then wondered why she cared. There were four police officers. One had brown hair, one had blonde, one was a girl, and one was black. She didn't need names to tell them apart. The blonde had helped her keep her feet, the girl was kneeling by the injured man and shining a flashlight on him, the other two were securing the scene.

"If it's his remaining injuries, I am aware of them," Raven said. "I imagine a stay in the hospital will take care of-"

"That's not it." The female police officer gestured Raven closer; despite herself, Raven floated over, and frowned.

"Is his skin _green_?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think this one's yours. The hospital can't take any more patients, their beds are full up." Meaning, of course, the hospital wouldn't take any more meta-human patients, especially not after that one pyrokinetic had tried to burn down the building.

Raven sighed, and pulled out her communicator. The only consolation was she would be getting Robin out of bed.


	2. Chapter 2

_In celebration of reaching week three (clawing and biting and screaming bloody murder at my characters) of NaNoWriMo. Anyone who doesn't know about NaNoWriMo... Look it up on google. I'm going to go write now._

_Disclaimer: Yeah, like I really own the Titans. And I also own the CN tower, the River Nile in Egypt, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a whole other land marks. And the sun. Yes, I own the sun. Bow before me, muwahahahaha!_

**Chapter Two**

Raven pulled out her communicator, and keyed it for Robin's. He was probably asleep. She would be floating here in the air, staring at a green man who had glass in his back and who couldn't go to a hospital because the city bureaucrats were idiots, for who knew how long while she waited for her fearless leader to wake up and figure out that the beeping meant someone wanted to talk to him.

She rubbed at her forehead with one hand. She was tired. She knew she was tired. Thinking dark thoughts about Robin wasn't going to wake her up.

_You could always just leave the guy,_ Rude pointed out. _Go back to your nice, warm, soft bed and sleep for a week._

_That would be wrong_, Raven answered. She touched down on the ground, and sighed.

"Can I get you anything, miss?" the blonde officer asked. He seemed to have been elected spokesperson for the quartet.

"No, thank you." Her communicator was still displaying the 'busy' signal. _Come on, Robin, wake up. Now would be a good time._

She waited another five minutes before realizing Robin wasn't going to wake up and answer any time soon. She switched the communicator from Robin to Cyborg, and got a response in what she thought was five seconds. It could have been faster.

"Morning."

"Cyborg. I need you to come down here. There's an injured meta-human and the hospital has no more beds." Raven looked at the shattered window, and then down at the man. Cyborg would figure it out when he got there.

"Raven, we're not running a service for-"

"Do _you_ want to deal with those idiots up at City Hall at two in the morning? Because _I_ don't. And I'm sure normally the hospital staff would be happy to give this man a bed in, say, the maternity ward, but its _budget month_, Cyborg. They won't do anything to risk their money."

"Technically there is no 'budget month' but-"

"Cyborg!" Raven took a deep breath, and then released it slowly. "Just get down here. With the car. And a blanket."

"Robin won't like this," Cyborg said.

"Since I just spent the last half hour trying to wake him up to let him know what's going on, he can deal with it."

Sensibly, Cyborg was silent. Raven ended the call, and hooked the communicator back onto her belt. At that point, it was tempting to collapse in a heap, or at least sit down, but she remained standing.

The police officers were giving her a wide birth. There were more of them. One of them seemed to have noticed that the bleeding man on the sidewalk needed some basic first aid, and was going to work. Raven mentally blessed him for his thoughtfulness.

She was going to fall over, and fast.

She managed to remain upright by sheer force of will. She was not going to fall over in front of several officers of the law. She had her pride.

"Oy, you."

Raven looked over, and arched one eyebrow. Even floating a foot above the ground, she still had to look up at the tall, male cop with the white-blonde hair and very dark blue eyes. He was pleasant enough to look at, she decided, even if he did look like he had a religious objection to sunlight.

"Would you stop staring at Smith? He's not that interesting."

Raven arched one eyebrow and looked down. _And here we find the yang to this man's yin,_ Wisdom murmured, blending with Happy in her amusement. Raven had to agree. Where the man was tall, the woman was short; where he was pale, she was dark, and where he looked like he could go on the cover of a fashion magazine, she looked like the only magazine she'd grace was for women's boxing.

The man, Smith, frowned down at the woman. "Detective," he murmured, "that's not very complimentary."

"Shut up." The woman raised her chin. "So. You want anything? I'm sending Smith off to get coffee."

Raven mentally floundered, and very nearly shook her head. She was _very_ tired, obviously. "If you could get tea? Green tea if you can, Earl Gray if you can't?"

Smith nodded, and smiled. "Certainly. If you will excuse me?" He didn't wait for an answer, but strode off, heading for one of the police vehicles. Much to Raven's amusement, she realized it was the most dilapidated car she had ever seen.

"You should sit down," the woman said. "Before you fall, because you're gonna."

"Oh?" Raven said. "Just where would I sit?" There was glass everywhere, and blood, and she really didn't want to sit down on the curb.

The cop pointed at one of the black and white cop cars. "No one'll care if you perch on the roof or whatever," she said.

"… Thank you." There really was no reason not to. The cop was right- if she didn't sit down, she'd fall down.

Raven sat cross legged on one of the black and whites, and not too long after that Smith was back with a paper cup of Earl Gray.

"They were all out of Green," he said, when he handed it over. Raven just nodded and started taking sips. It was hot, but she had a higher tolerance for temperatures then normal people. She had tea, she wasn't standing- or floating- in the air- she zoned out. It might have been a minute, it might have been fifteen, but all of a sudden Cyborg was standing in front of her and she didn't know how he'd gotten there.

"You alright Raven?" he asked.

"I'm not the one you should be asking about." She finished her tea, and crumpled the cup. "Come on."

It took a brief moment of searching, but Raven brought Cyborg over to the injured meta-human. He had been wrapped in a blanket, and laid on his stomach in the back of one of the cop cars. Cyborg lifted him out with ease, and then looked down at Raven.

"It's your show," he said.

Raven rubbed at her forehead with one shaking hand. There were times, such as now, that she regretted taking that paramedic's course. Yes, it was useful, and yes, it had taught her the best way to use her healing powers, but sometimes it was a pain. Everyone looked at her, expecting her to have all the answers, and it was exhausting to have to tell everyone what to do.

She would never be a good leader, obviously.

"We need to get him to the Tower, first of all," she said. "We'll deal with everything else there."

Time skipped. It was a curious sensation- one moment she was standing by a cop car talking to Cyborg, the next she was slumped in the passenger seat of the T-car, watching as the Tower came closer and closer. Cyborg was driving fast, but not excessively so.

She closed her eyes in the car, and opened them in the Tower's Med Bay. She would have been worried, except she was exhibiting classic symptoms of too little sleep, after using too much energy. But what else could she have done?

_Nothing,_ Intellect assured.

Cyborg had laid the green man down on the examining table, and was unwrapping the blanket. Raven roused herself just enough so that she was able to walk over, pick up a pair of forceps, and watch as the ruin of flesh and glass came into sight.

"Not very pretty," Cyborg murmured. "Here, let me guess. Get out the glass, wash off his back, spread an antibiotic cream on the wounds, then bandage him up and give him an IV for fluids, right?"

"Yes," Raven said, blinking.

"Okay. Give me those, then go to bed. I can handle everything down here. If something comes up, I'll give you a holler."

Relief weakened her joints. "Thank you. I'll just… go now."

The very next thing Raven knew, she was stepping into her bedroom. It seemed like so long ago that she was cleaning it out from the H.I.V.E's deprivations, instead of only yesterday morning.

Not that she cared now. All that mattered was getting to her bed, closing her eyes, and sleeping. So that was what she did.

0O0

That afternoon, Raven headed for the kitchen, attempting to hide her stumbling steps and failing spectacularly. She had slept like one drugged, or dead, and still felt like she could go right back to sleep. In fact, so long as no one needed her, her plan was to take care of her hunger and bladder and then return to bed.

"Raven!" Starfire leapt into the air when the common room door slid open. "You have awakened! I was most worried for you, but Cyborg said you would be well if given enough time to rest."

"He was right," Raven said, and then winced. She sounded like she'd swallowed gravel, hardly pleasant. "It was nothing to worry about, Starfire."

"Nice to see you're up, Raven."

Raven looked over, and sighed. She didn't need her empathic abilities- which were currently non-existent, due to the drain on her powers- to know Robin was angry with her. She had expected this sort of reaction, only she had hoped he would hold off until she wasn't feeling so exhausted.

"Robin," she said, and headed for the kitchen. Tea first, else she would fall asleep over her meal. "Is something the matter?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw Robin falter. Odd, he should have expected she would pick up on it. And as far as he knew, she always had her empathy, whether her powers were drained or not.

"Just who did you bring to the Tower?" he asked.

"I don't know. An injured meta-human, obviously." She chose Earl Gray for her tea; she needed the caffeine. She was forced to get and fill the kettle by hand, something that was unusual enough that it was a novelty. She filled the kettle with more water then a mug of tea needed. She felt like oatmeal for breakfast, with some raisins, perhaps, or slices of fruit.

"So we could have a criminal resting in our Med Bay," Robin said, bringing her back to the present.

"I don't know." She turned around, and folded her arms. "He was unconscious when I met him. As he had been thrown through a plate glass window, I decided he needed more medical care then I was able to give him. As the hospital has a limited number of beds for meta-humans- and they were all full- I decided the Tower was a better place for such care then the street." She turned back to the kettle, and got her tea ready. No cream, no sugar, just a touch of milk to ease the slightly bitter taste.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to do this?"

"I tried. For half an hour. Either you turned your communicator off, or you slept through the ringing. Which was it?"

Raven unplugged the kettle the moment it started to whistle. She had tea and oatmeal ready by that point, and Robin still hadn't answered her. He hadn't left the kitchen. Instead he was standing in the middle of the room like a great, useless lump. It was a pity her Emotions were silent. By the time she was able to converse with them again, this minor confrontation was going to be old news, and not worth going over. The comments would have been funny, she decided, though Rage might have gotten locked up again.

"Raven," Robin finally said, and then fell silent.

"Do you not have an answer?" she asked, and spooned up some oatmeal. "Because as you can see, I'm busy. Perhaps you should go to the Med Bay, see if Cyborg has anything to tell you about our guest."

Robin raked one hand through his hair, and sighed. "Right," he muttered. "I'll go do that."

Raven didn't answer, just flicked her fingers in his direction. She had just finished and was putting her dishes in the sink for someone else to wash for once, when the Tower intercom system crackled to life.

_That is a stupid thing,_ she thought, not for the first time. They had their communicators, what did they need an intercom for?

"Raven, could you come down to the Med Bay please? Our new friend's waking up."

Raven sighed. Cyborg could have used worse phrasing, but he certainly hadn't used the best. All Starfire needed to hear was 'new friend' and she would be sure to go straight for the Med Bay herself.

"Alright," she muttered, and headed for the elevator. Somewhat to her surprise, Starfire was there as well, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Raven, please, can you tell me- will I be welcome?" Starfire asked.

Raven blinked. "I honestly don't know," she said. She hastened to add, when Starfire's face fell, "I don't know if our guest will wake up disoriented, whether he'll try to fight us or not- remember, he was injured in a fight, he might remember only that he was fighting, and now here he is surrounded by strangers. Of course, that might not be what happens."

"It is only just that I recall what it is like, to be among strangers and be welcomed. I wish to give the same experience to this person as well."

"You would," Raven muttered, and cleared her throat. "Well, stay near the back of the room, I think," she said. "That way, if there is a problem, you'll be out of the way. And if there isn't, you can come forward and say hello."

"Oh, wondrous!" Starfire floated up into the air, and smiled. "Thank you, I shall take your advice."

"Good." Raven stepped into the elevator, and tilted her head. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"Yes, yes."

The short elevator ride was blessedly silent. The absence of Raven's empathy and her magic was like a sore tooth, or a bad bruise. She could ignore it, but it would come to her attention at the worst possible times, and further more it made her cranky. She didn't like feeling helpless.

Cyborg was hovering over the still, green figure that had been moved to one of the hospital beds. The blood stained clothing had been stripped from him, and Cyborg had dressed him in a paper smock, as in a regular hospital. Raven checked the IV line and all the bits and pieces required to monitor heart and brain activity, and nodded to herself. Neatly done. Perhaps she could convince Cyborg that he should take a paramedic's course as well. It would certainly be useful to have another trained medic on hand.

"You said he was waking up?" she asked, moving forward. She was aware of Starfire moving to the back of the room, furthest from the medical supplies and hospital bed. Robin was standing next to Cyborg, so they both hovered over their injured guest. Raven withheld a sigh, and didn't comment.

"His brainwaves started spiking, his heart rate picked up, and his fingers started twitching. I'd say he's either waking up or having a nightmare."

"Either is possible." She hoped it was a nightmare. She wanted her powers back, or at least her empathy, before dealing with someone unknown.

Her hopes were dashed as his eyelids lifted for a brief second, before closing. It happened again, his eyes stayed open a breath longer, and then again, and again, until he was blinking rapidly and looking around him with an expression of horrified confusion.

"Where am I?" he stammered, voice hoarse. "And who're you?"

Raven stayed where she was, even as Cyborg and Robin moved closer. "You're safe," Cyborg said. "And we're the Titans. We helped you."

She couldn't name the expression that flickered over the green man's face at that, but it seemed composed of equal parts distrust, confusion, and satisfaction.


	3. Chapter 3

_I am of the opinion that my brother is one lucky bastard. He's currently in Cuba for a week long martial arts tournament. I, on the other hand, am stuck here in the teeth of winter, with a naturally lower body temperature (we've been making jokes about it for years, but it was only confirmed this past summer... DAMN I'm weird...), bored out of my skull and it's only day one. So. Chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't have enough money to migrate to someplace warm each winter. If I owned the Titans, I would. Ergo, me no own. Plot is mine, though- steal that and I'll... bury you in that honking big snowbank in my backyard._

**Chapter Three**

The drugs were a problem. Slade had gone over the effects of narcotics and pain killers, emphasizing the loss of control, both mental and physical. Morphine was equivalent with getting really, really drunk, with the added bonus of addictive properties. The Titans were currently pumping Animal's veins with morphine, or some related drug. Fortunately no one was looking for a conversation, since Animal doubted he'd be able to keep control of his tongue.

He did have enough control not to babble, at least. He could also plan, but that was a bit beside the point. His plans, currently, consisted on how to get the drugs out of his system, preferably without the Titans or their medic figuring it out. Pain could be tolerated; giving away his mission because Robin said 'hello' couldn't be.

He turned his head, and stared at the door. He couldn't hear anyone coming down the hall, not that it meant much. The walls were metal, the door was metal, and the soundproofing was at least on par with most residential cookie-cutter houses. In other words, it effectively deafened him, even if all the monitors with their quiet beeping and whirring didn't do the job all on their own. His nose was useless, considering all the medicinal supplies.

So he'd have to be fast, then.

Animal reached over with his free arm, and took a deep breath. His hand and arm were nearly black from bruising, two of his fingers in splints. It might've been the morphine, but he had to wonder just how he'd been beaten this badly. He'd been fighting his hardest, and he'd _still_ ended up in the Titan's private hospital.

He ran his hand down his arm, until his little finger touched tubing. He stared at the IV bags for a few minutes, figuring out just what was in each one. Liquids, antibiotics, and morphine. He could do without the liquids, now he was awake, and anything that could get past his immune system wasn't going to be taken out by antibiotics. He'd already obsessed enough about the morphine as it was.

The needle was taped down, so it wouldn't move around. Animal pulled the needle back, enough so that the drugs weren't put into his body, but the tape covered the tip. It'd be hard to notice, at least until the tape was taken off.

He'd handle that part. A quick prick of the claws and a jerk of the hand, and it'd look like he'd torn the needle from his arm. He'd get scolded, but they wouldn't know the truth.

That settled, he relaxed back and waited for the drugs to work their way out. While he was waiting, he might as well sleep. It wasn't like he was going anywhere, and once his system was clean, he was going to be in for a world of pain.

He was. He'd managed to doze, but when the pain hit, it hit hard. Only his training kept him quiet and immobile.

It was hard to tell just what hurt the most. His knees were pretty much the winner, with his stomach muscles a close second. He'd been beaten before, but never like this. Slade hadn't wanted to kill him when they sparred, after all.

Time blurred. It would have been disturbing, if Animal had any mental space to be disturbed. It could have been only a day since he'd cleared his system of drugs, or it could have been ten. However long it'd been, it felt like an eternity.

The Med Bay doors slid open, and from somewhere, he managed to find the strength to act normally. He opened his eyes a crack and looked over. His pain riddled mind threw a name up from the depths.

Raven. Raven had come to check up on him.

She looked pinched, her lips pressed together in a white line, her forehead scrunched up as if she had a killer headache.

Raven walked over to his bedside, and sighed. "Even with the drugs, you're in a great deal of pain," she murmured, as if she were speaking to herself, and not to Animal. "I'd better sit down."

He watched, unable to comprehend, as she got herself ready for- something. She gestured, and a chair skidded across the floor, coming to rest at her side. She sat down, arranging her cape so it didn't choke her, and leaned forward. Last, she rested one hand against his forehead, and the other against his chest.

Her hands were cool, he noticed.

And then he stopped thinking.

Blessedly cool light bathed him, soothed all the aches and pains he'd suffered. Fear melted away, curiosity dissolved, even his well hoarded suspicion dried up like water in a desert. All that was left was contentment, and a desire to not move, never leave this peace.

Then it ended.

He opened his eyes- when had he closed them?- and looked up at Raven. Should he thank her? What had she done, exactly? What next, fireworks?

She looked back, her eyes grave. Then they rolled back in her head and she tipped over to the side.

Animal _moved_.

He caught her. That was all he did, but it meant a few things.

He'd been healed. Completely. That light- that sense of calm- had healed him. His knees didn't hurt. His stomach was fine. His bruising was gone. He was in peak condition, as if he'd never been injured, as if any lingering damage from training had been wiped out. Fresh slate, start over- with all his abilities left intact.

He looked down at Raven, and frowned. She looked… fragile, cradled against his chest like that. Why'd she heal him, if this was the result? Was it only that being a Titan drained common sense? Or… He didn't know, he wasn't a civic minded wanna-be hero.

Animal frowned, and lifted her up. Feeling the flex of his muscles as he adjusted to Raven's weight was… well, he hadn't thought he'd be feeling them work this soon. It was heady stuff. For the first time, he really understood just how strong he was.

He let Raven down onto the bed he'd so recently vacated, and cleaned up a bit. The IV was turned off, the needle collected and the tubing coiled up. He flexed his claws, and dug the tip of his thumb claw into his arm. A bead of blood welled up, and he wiped it away. The wound wasn't deep enough to do more then ooze a little. In no time at all, it'd be scabbed over.

He had time, time to think, to plan, to figure out all the details of his story…

Two, two and a half hours later, he had his story all worked out. Most of it would be vague- well, what street kid paid attention to things like dates or street names? And the kid Animal pretended to be, a freak, cared only about living one day at a time. The next scrap of food, the next safe place to sleep.

Though, for Animal's pretend history, there wouldn't be any drugs or alcohol. He'd be a smart street kid, and besides, bottles of rotgut and drugs just smelt bad.

Not much later then that, Raven began to stir.

Animal kept to his seat on the chair. He kept his expression- wary, curious, sullen- in place. First impressions meant everything. People saw what they wanted to see, and went by that ever important first impression. What he wanted the Titans to see was a street kid, tough from years of life on the edge, yet without having been turned into a feral beast. Once they'd seen that, accepted that was what he was, he could relax a little. Until then, he'd have to be very, very careful.

Raven opened her eyes, and blinked several times. Then, she looked around the room, stopping at him.

"I'm on the bed," she said, and Animal just kept from sneering. What was it about hero types and stating the obvious?

"Yeah," he said.

Raven took a deep breath. "How did I get up here?" she asked.

"I moved you."

He could see rising frustration, both at him and at her apparent weakness. She hadn't tried to sit up yet; maybe she couldn't. Animal hovered a little, just the way a street kid who wanted to help, but wasn't sure of his welcome, would do.

Raven licked her lips, and closed her eyes. "You are well?"

"Fine. Why'd you fall down?" Animal really wanted to know the answer to that.

"I overextended myself. The weakness will pass." She took a breath, and opened her eyes again. "You should be hungry."

"Yeah," Animal agreed, because he was.

But more, he was pleased. He was in the Titan's Tower, he already knew that one Titan fell over when she got tired- and that she could heal. All he needed to do was figure out a way to stay in the Tower, and get reports to Slade, and he'd be one happy man.

0O0

Raven didn't try to sit up again. If- Animal- hadn't caught her, she could have fallen off the bed. That would have hurt, and her own healing would be much slowed after what she'd done. She neither wanted nor needed a sprained wrist or sore elbow, though accepting a stranger's aid was annoying at best, humiliating at worst.

"Can't you call your friends?" Animal asked, crouched at the bedside. He looked a little strange, and surely his neck couldn't be comfortable at that angle, but he seemed content enough. Though, the fact that he ignored a chair that was _right there_ was a little odd.

"I could," she admitted, and looked away. She could call them, and they would see her weak. Of course, a stranger had seen her weak. Her friends had seen her worse off, after a particularly nasty battle or- or perhaps they hadn't seen her as bad as this, exhausted without injury.

"Would you?" Animal asked, inching closer. She looked back, and caught his expression, closed off and sullen.

Without her empathy, she couldn't begin to guess at what went on, in his mind. After his seven days in the medical bay, surely he was hungry? A saline solution only did so much for the body, after all.

But if he was hungry, why didn't he just say it? Humans, all humans, were just confusing.

"All right," she agreed, and fumbled for her communicator. There was always the intercom, but she had never used it before, and never would if she could help it.

And if no one picked up their communicators, she'd turn the intercom on and then- feedback. Show her friends how foolish it was to ignore her summons.

Raven swallowed a half-hysterical giggle, and briefly closed her eyes. She was exhausted and her emotions were out of control. She needed to eat, sleep, and meditate, not necessarily in that order. Well, she could also do without Animal staring at her, but she would tolerate it. For now.

She did a quick run through of the Titans. No one was answering their communicators. And why should they? Everyone was in the tower, they had an intercom system- she thought, again, it was a stupid thing to have, it led to laziness just like this- and their guest was being attended to by one of the strongest of them.

_Well, strongest when not laid out from healing,_ she thought to herself.

"Animal, if you would, there is a device on the desk, there. Boxy, about this big?" She sketched a shape in the air. "If you would, press the red button, clear your throat, cover your ears, and then hold the microphone to the speaker?"

It was hard to tell, with the green skin, pointed ears, and fangs, but Animal looked positively gleeful at her instructions. Raven plugged her ears.

Fifteen seconds later, Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were in the med bay, and Animal was on the ground, twitching.

"I think it was the noise," Raven said, accepting Starfire's help in sitting up. "Can you hear me now?"

Animal groaned, curling up into a fetal position.

Robin, she imagined, was glaring at her. "Raven," he began.

"You weren't answering your communicator again. He's healed- says his name is Animal. And I am exhausted. I'm going to sleep. Starfire, help me to my room?"

Starfire beamed, almost literally, and lifted Raven into the air. "Certainly, dear friend! I shall-"

"I can walk."

"Oh. My apologies."

0O0

It took two days for Animal to settle into his role. The Titans had accepted them- trusting fools- and had 'pried' his story from him. Street kid, named Animal, functionally illiterate, green for as long as he could remember, could turn into animals. They'd offered to teach him how to be a Titan. Or, well, Robin had offered, Starfire had welcomed him into the tower with something that looked like pudding, but was as alive and hungry as he was. Cyborg had kept a cautious distance, and locked the garage door whenever he wasn't in it. Only the fact that Animal was amused by that action kept him from being insulted. Really, a simple door lock keep him out of a room? Please.

Raven flat out avoided him. But then, she seemed to be avoiding everyone, so it probably wasn't personal.

After the two days, the Titans were used to how he kept his back to a wall, never looked anyone in the eye. Animal made a practice of stealing his way down the halls. His room was jealously guarded, though he had nothing to put in it. The only furniture was what the Titans had added; a bed, a dresser, a nightstand and table lamp. He had some clothes, too. He and Robin were similar in size, Robin a bit taller and broader in the shoulders, Animal a bit more muscular in the arms and legs. Jeans and sweaters worked well enough.

He ate whatever was put in front of him, finishing quickly, and then would sit and watch the other Titans eat. Starfire would always pile his plate high a second time, and he would wolf that down as well.

He pretended not to know how to work a TV, a DVD player, the radio. He avoided using the elevator.

And he made note of every security system, and how to get around it.

His third night up and out of the Med Bay, he got out through his bedroom window, and flew across the bay as a bat.

Time to check in with his master.

0O0

Animal landed on the apartment balcony, and hung upside down for a good minute. They hadn't been to this place before Animal got sent off for his mission. They'd been making use of an old warehouse. Slade probably still had it, but if you couldn't enjoy creature comforts like hot running water and a refrigerator that didn't turn off every half hour, then you were just utterly pathetic.

He jumped down, shifting in mid-air, landing on his shoulders and rolling to his feet. By the time he was upright, Wintergreen was at the balcony door.

"Welcome back," the butler said. He pulled the door open for Animal, and waved at the hallway. "Master Slade is in his office. He's expecting you."

"Thanks, Winter," Animal said. "Have any chicken? Flew across the bay."

"There will be something when you are finished with your meeting."

Animal nodded, and headed down towards Slade's office. He'd never been here, but he'd studied the layout. It'd been his homework, so to speak.

It was good to have Wintergreen with them. With the butler around, there wasn't any need to worry about little things like cooking or running out of gun ammo. And Wintergreen had been a field medic in some war or other, the same one Slade had been in. He was trustworthy, discreet, and never flinched. And, bonus, he made a mean stir fry dinner.

Animal knocked once on Slade's office door, and let himself in.

He ducked the knife thrown at his head, dodged the fist that would've buried into his stomach otherwise. He lashed out with a round kick to the head, jabbed at an armored shoulder.

Then the two combatants sprang apart and eyed each other.

"You have become very sloppy," Slade said, and straightened out of his ready position. Animal copied him, relaxing his shoulders and sauntering over to a chair.

"How long has it been?" he asked. "I spent most of my time unconscious." It galled him to admit it, but even Slade would have been laid up at least that long in healing.

Slade sat himself down behind his desk, and glared. He wasn't wearing his mask and armor, since this was his own apartment. The armor was for fights.

"What?" Animal asked, when his teacher and master hadn't so much as twitched a muscle. It was vaguely disturbing being stared at, especially when Slade looked as angry as he currently did…

"You did not follow the plan," the super soldier finally said.

Animal relaxed. That was it? "No, I adapted. Look, I know the plan went off the rails, but the Titans think I want to be one of them. They even gave me a room in their tower. How much easier will it be to spy on them?"

Slade drummed his fingers on his desk, and then sighed. "You are very lucky things have worked out as they have," he said. "Our schedule will not work like this. Report to me once a week from now on to deliver your news and get training. Once a month you will join me in attacking the Titans."

It was on the tip of Animal's tongue to ask: why not just sneak into the tower and kill them in their sleep? He knew the answer, though. Slade wouldn't do that- it wasn't sporting, or fair, or honorable. And since Slade wouldn't do it, neither would Animal.

"How long did the Brotherhood give us?" he asked instead. Had Slade told him that? He couldn't remember.

Slade leaned back in his seat. "We have six months. If we do not complete our mission by the end, we will pull back and give the Brotherhood a complete refund.

"I don't want to give them a refund."

Animal didn't flinch. It wasn't in his nature. He sunk his claws into the chair arms, bared the tips of his fangs, but he didn't flinch.

He didn't dare.


	4. Chapter 4

_Why yes, it has been a long time since I posted last! Do I need to repeat my utter hate for Animal at this moment in time? In between disparing of ever writing this chapter- because getting it started was more then half the battle- was Animal and me Not Getting Along At All. But the chapter's written, it's posted, I'll try not to wait until NEXT year to post._

**Chapter Four**

Animal slunk into the living room, keeping a wary eye on the two current inhabitants. Raven was sitting by the window in mid air, cross legged and reading a book. Starfire was doing- something- with paint and paper plates. Some sort of artsy-crafts thing, he supposed.

"Friend Animal!" Starfire looked over at him, and grinned. "How is it that you are doing this glorious morning?"

It wasn't the most convoluted sentence she'd ever tossed his way, but it still took him a second to figure it out. "Fine." Very obviously, he kept one ear turned in her direction as he made his way to the kitchen. He was in the mood for a little chicken. Hopefully someone would be willing to 'show him how' to use the microwave. Again.

"Are you not tired of wearing clothing that is not yours?" Starfire asked, following him into the kitchen. Animal tensed, and shot a wide eyed, half feral look over his shoulder at her. He hadn't heard her walking- oh. Floating. That explained it.

He sprang away, putting half the kitchen between himself and her. Her face fell a little, but almost immediately she was smiling again.

"Clothes are clothes," he said, though he was. Robin was a bit narrower in the shoulders and hips, a bit taller, and liked bright, primary colors, even for his civilian clothing. Red sweaters and green skin just didn't go well together. It didn't even make him look like a walking Christmas tree, more like some color blind schmuck who'd gotten dipped in paint and hadn't cleaned up yet.

Starfire stared at him, and grinned. "I am going to the mall of shopping. Perhaps you can come with me, and we can get you clothing of your own?"

He felt one eyebrow start to climb its way up his forehead. "Won't Robin be upset?" he asked. "Thought I was under arrest."

"No! You are in training. Robin wishes for you to… Get to know us before the training of your powers."

"Right." Animal started to rummage through the fridge. "I don't do good with crowds."

"Neither does Raven." Starfire sighed. "I thought, perhaps, you might feel better with something that does not come from us. I shall go on my own, if you do not wish to go."

Animal bowed his head, and sighed. "No, I'll go," he said, and closed the fridge without taking anything out. "I guess I could do with some clothes."

And there was that smile, the one that made Starfire look like she'd just taken some sort of laughing gas. "You will? Truly? Glorious! We shall have fun, yes?" She floated closer to the ceiling.

He decided he might as well tell her. "Ah, Starfire?" He pretended to cringe when she swooped down, stopping a foot away from him. "I kind of… The clothes I need…" He chewed on his lip. "They can't be baggy," he finally said. "When I transform, so do my clothes, but only if they're not baggy." Damned if he could explain it either.

"Really?" She asked. "I shall remember. Come! We will get Cyborg to drive us in the car of the T."

So, he'd finally see the mythological car, then? About damn time.

Animal trailed after Starfire to the stairwell, and hid a smirk as she floated down the middle, going slowly so he could keep up if he hurried. Well, she was friendly enough. It wasn't a weakness, but it'd only been three days since he'd gotten up and about. He'd find out all he needed to know, soon enough.

Fortunately it was Starfire who broached the subject of transportation with Cyborg. The- well, cyborg- hadn't taken it too well. "The car's not even half done! I haven't gotten any of the security systems in and the radio's not working, and don't even get me started on the paint!"

Animal eyed the car in question, what looked like a beaten down clinker about five miles from the junkyard, and snorted. "That ain't a car," he said. "That's a-" He cut himself off. Let them fill in the missing words. They'd probably come up with something better for his disguise then he could.

It was hard to read Cyborg's expression, what with his face being more then halfway metal, but Animal figured there was a good helping of sympathy. "Well, I guess I can take you," he said. "The engine's fine, and I'm not going to be leaving it in the parking lot."

"Thank you." Starfire lunged for Cyborg, and caught him in a full body hug that made something creak. Animal looked away, but kept his ears tilted towards the two.

"So, you coming, little man?"

Little? Animal scowled. "I ain't little," he informed Cyborg. "You're just too big."

"You're little to me. You're in back. Ladies up front."

"Sure thing, ma'am."

"Hey!"

"Well, you said…" Animal trailed off as he got in behind Starfire's seat. More leg room.

Starfire giggled, and somehow managed to stop floating near the ceiling long enough to get into the car and buckle in.

0O0

_You're paranoid,_ Rude informed her. Intellect and Rage both turned on the annoying Emotion, which at least cut the chatter from _that_ part of her mind.

_There's something odd,_ Raven told her Emotions. _I don't like him._

She stared unseeing down at her book, and followed Starfire, Cyborg, and Animal with her empathy until they were out of range. She waited five minutes, and then closed her book.

She couldn't put into words just what it was about Animal that made her uneasy. Her empathy was back, and he had the most curious mix of emotions she had ever felt, but that could be easily explained away. His speech patterns were harder. She knew how the educated spoke, and except for a moment here or there, Animal spoke like one educated.

_Which doesn't mean anything,_ Intellect said, sounding doubtful.

_No, but what else do I have? Feelings aren't my strong point._

Raven tucked her book under one arm, and headed towards the bedrooms. Animal always locked his door, but when had locks ever stopped her? She paused long enough to make certain Robin wasn't anywhere nearby, and created a portal through the door.

Once inside Animal's room, she started to look around. The bed was made with military neatness, which- while odd- could also be explained. Perhaps he had learnt at a homeless shelter, or- well, she didn't know. But why would Animal bother to make his bed in the first place?

The rest of the room was similarly neat and tidy. The clothes he had borrowed from Robin were hung in the closet, or folded away in the small chest of drawers. There wasn't a lot to look at, admittedly, as the clothes Animal had arrived in hadn't been worth saving. And living on the street didn't make one inclined to gather possessions, she supposed.

_Raven? I had a thought._

Wisdom's thoughts were always worth listening to. _Go on._

She could almost see Wisdom standing before her, one hand raised to her chin, brow furrowed. _He does not act like one who is homeless. Perhaps he isn't._

_Isn't?_ Raven asked, and frowned. _How do you mean?_

Wisdom sighed. _We are getting quite the name for ourselves. There are even a few meta-humans looking to duplicate our efforts. But, _she said, and held up one finger, _if one were seeking acclaim, wouldn't one be best going to the source of the movement?_

_If by movement, you mean fighting crime as vigilantes in bright colored clothing…_ Raven murmured, but she nodded. _That's not the only possibility, but it is one idea._

Something inside her relaxed. Well, now she had a possible reason for his acting- and now that she was thinking about it, it _was_ acting. Quite as good as Robin, in fact, and Robin had a double life he occasionally went back to. Raven had the impression that his friends and family in Gotham thought he was away at a boarding school, but that was besides the point. Animal was acting, pretending to be a homeless meta-human. Why he wanted to join the Titans was probably known only to him, but Wisdom's guess- that it was for the fame that would come, when he joined the Titans and became known as one of them- was as good as any.

_Does this mean you're not going to fuss any more?_ Happy asked. _Because I think we should make pancakes!_

Raven wasn't even going to wonder why solving a minor mystery warranted pancakes. _I think I'll go back to reading my book._

0O0

Animal was starting to regret ever telling Starfire he needed close fitting clothing. Only Cyborg's intervention had kept her from looking in a goth's specialty shop. Not that Animal had any problem with gothic wear, but… That particular shop seemed to specialize in clothing that'd make him look… not the way he wanted to look. The dog collars especially were a little scary; the spikes looked sharp enough to draw blood.

Cyborg had been dragooned into carrying the bags. Animal figured the car was safe; the way it looked, no one would even want to park near it, for fear it'd infect their cars.

Well, people were strange. In the end, it meant Animal had company in the Hell that was also known as the local mall.

He didn't have to feign being intimidated. All the noise, mall music, people talking, yelling, children screaming, music from the individual stores and food court noises, and the smells, which were completely indescribable, had him nursing a headache and keeping close to Cyborg's bulk. People didn't crowd close to the Titans, which was at least a little breathing room.

"What about this store?" Starfire asked, gesturing at a shop that seemed to specialize in jeans.

Cyborg looked down at Animal, who shrugged. "Sure," the bigger man said. "Can't hurt. C'mon, little man, let's get you some pants."

Animal trailed along behind the two Titans, feeling like nothing more then taking them both out right there. Starfire was treating him like a living doll- even as he thought that, she grabbed him by the bicep and dragged him over to a rack of pants. She started pulling jeans off the racks and holding them up to him, muttering in what he assumed was her native language.

"These," she finally decided, separating three pairs of jeans from the assortment, and dragging him over to the change rooms. Cyborg followed, a lot slower then the energizer battery pretending to be an alien girl.

Animal accepted the pants, and sulked as he got changed. Well, they were form fitting enough, so at least he wouldn't end up nude when transforming. The darker colored jeans were a better cut, in his opinion, which seemed to be echoed by Starfire. Once that was done, Animal ended up with four pairs of the dark jeans, and Cyborg was given the bag to hold. Then it was off to another store.

At least Starfire let him choose his own underwear. The last thing he wanted or needed was a girl picking out that sort of thing. She'd probably choose something with flowers.

Finally, not even Cyborg could carry any more bags, and Starfire reluctantly left the mall. Animal just about skipped out the doors to the car. He took a deep breath of exhaust fumes and could barely imagine anything smelling any sweeter. He was never, ever going into another mall for the rest of his life.

As expected, the car was safe. Animal helped pile the bags into the trunk and the backseat, and squeezed into the back himself. Just like that, they were off, heading back to the tower.

"Are you pleased with your selections?" Starfire asked, twisting to look back at him.

Animal nodded. "Sure." Most of the clothes were black, since colors tended to clash with his skin and hair. Good thing he liked black.

The ride back to the tower was more subdued then the ride to the mall, thankfully. Cyborg and Starfire chatted with each other, giving Animal the space he desperately needed.

He just wasn't a people person, he supposed. Most of his life he'd had Slade and Wintergreen for company, and no one else. He could deal with people just fine, he just had his limits.

"You're kind of quiet, little man. Trip to the mall tuckered you out?" Cyborg asked, easing the car through traffic.

Animal bristled at that. Just how weak did they think he was? "No. All talked out."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

Cyborg opened his mouth, hesitated, and then concentrated on the road. Animal stared at the back of his head.

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

Animal helped carry the bags of clothes up to his room, nodded his thanks to Cyborg, and then got started putting things away. Something was off, though, something at the edge of his awareness.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on his hearing. Sometimes it happened that he heard things on the edge of human hearing. When he was younger, it scared him. He was used to hearing things now, like mice in the walls, but this… Whatever it was, it wasn't audible. He opened his eyes and quickly looked around, but nothing had been disturbed. Scent, then. He sniffed at the air, and frowned. There was a new scent to his room, and it wasn't the clothes.

He narrowed his eyes, and went back to hanging up clothes, or folding them and putting them in drawers. The entire time, he was thinking about the scent. He'd picked it up before, and in this Tower. So, one of the Titans, maybe? Couldn't have been Starfire or Cyborg, he'd been with them.

Robin or Raven. One of the birds had decided to do a little snooping. Good thing he didn't have anything worth investigating in his room.

0O0

The alarm had gone off at six. Animal had nearly jumped out of his skin, and gasped for breath even as the Titans were lunging for the door. Dinner was abandoned on the stove, the TV was left on, and Robin spilt his coffee on Raven's book and neither bird seemed to notice.

Animal frowned a little at that. He got to work, first turning off the TV, and then moving to the book. It looked ruined, he thought, a little sadly. First edition books were hard to come by, especially when they were by Herman Melville. He mopped up the spilt coffee as best as he could, and laid the book out flat on the countertop to dry. He wasn't sure if that was what you were supposed to do when you had paper drenched by really bad java, but it was the best he could think of.

He turned off the stove before the food caught on fire, and then moved to the big picture window overlooking the bay.

He'd taken maybe fifteen minutes. He could catch up, no problem. Besides, it was kind of hard to miss the two flying Titans hurtling through the air.

0O0

Raven mentally cursed Robin for lack of anyone better. She blocked a burst of pink from Jinx, and threw a trashcan at the witch. Jinx back flipped away, turned her attention on Starfire, and left Raven with a little breathing room.

Whoever had told the Hive it was a good idea to rob a bank during the day was wrong. There hadn't even been any need for the silent alarm. The Titans had shown up, and now there was a fight endangering civilians and property. It was aggravating.

Jinx turned her attention back to Raven, as Mammoth threw Cyborg into Starfire. Raven winced for her teammates, blocking another burst of pink energy with a quick shield. She backed away from Jinx, keeping her shield where it was, before dropping it and sending a mailbox flying through the air at the witch.

She supposed this was what was meant by 'Mexican standoff'. The Hive couldn't escape, not with the money, but the Titans weren't able to catch any of the criminals. If this went on much longer, there was a good chance someone would get hurt.

Even as she thought that, she noticed Robin, running full tilt at Mammoth. Raven opened her mouth to call warning to Robin, but was too late. Mammoth turned, one long arm swinging out- and into Robin's head.

The boy wonder went flying into a parked car, and fell to the ground. He was moving, and in a great deal of pain, but he was out of the fight.

Starfire flew at Mammoth with a blood curdling war cry. Cyborg went after Gizmo, who was trying to get away with the money. Raven was left to deal with Jinx, who refused to hold still.

She was quickly running out of things to throw, Raven realized, unless she resorted to ripping up pieces of the road and throwing them.

Jinx cart wheeled towards the sidewalk, and stopped, between Raven and a lamp post. A small group of civilians were cowering in a doorway; the store was out of business and the door locked, Raven supposed, considering the windows were boarded up. The civilians couldn't get into shelter, and the way things were going right now, they couldn't escape the fight either.

Now Raven couldn't throw anything at Jinx. If she did, there was the risk of hitting the civilians. She couldn't create one of her more elaborate shields to contain Jinx, because it took _time_ to regenerate power. She had enough for basic fighting, and that was it; and she was already getting tired!

The next part was pure bad luck.

There was a shout behind her. Jinx's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Raven turned to look, and flinched back.

Gizmo had launched one of his rockets at Cyborg. Cyborg had batted the rocket aside- only it hadn't stopped the rocket, only altered its course, and it was heading straight for the civilians.

Jinx flipped to the side, getting out of the immediate path of the rocket. It wasn't flying steady, and it was spluttering as it flew.

Raven reached out, and tried to grasp it, but her power was currently limited to very large things, or shields, and for some reason she couldn't get a hold of the slippery thing. The rocket hit just above the doorway the civilians had chosen for shelter.

Sensibly, they ran. Raven planted herself between them and the Hive, just in case, though she didn't think she would be needed. The Hive had never threatened civilians before.

She didn't even have to hear the yell of "Jeffrey" to know something was wrong. There was a strong surge of fear from the direction of the fleeing civilians, and an even stronger surge of sheer, paralyzing terror from the doorway. She turned to look, and just about sighed.

_Of course. What is it about small children and staring death in the face?_ she wondered. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jinx move towards the young boy, but Raven was faster.

She made it just as the first block fell. In a quick move, more instinct then thought, Raven knocked the child to the ground and hunched over him. The rest of the building, old, unstable, began to crumble then.

Through it all, she could hear the boy's mother screaming.

0O0

Animal didn't move from his crouch on the rooftop, even though he wanted to lean forward, the better to see. The dust was clouding his vision, and he wanted to _see_ so badly it almost hurt.

Raven was buried by most of the front of the building. The three criminals, and the Titans currently standing, were just standing around in what he judged to be shock. Animal didn't think Raven was dead, but if she were, wouldn't that be ironic? "Yeah, Slade? You know the Titans? I think all we'll have to do is collapse buildings on them, they're very squishy."

Before he could continue that thought any further, something in the settling dust and rubble _flexed_, and like a bird shrugging off snow, Raven flicked the rubble away. He couldn't see her all that well- the move had knocked more dust into the air- but he could make out her bowed head and slumped shoulders. So the child had died then. Or- no, even from where he crouched, across the street and five stories up, he could hear the boy's hysterical sobbing.

Exhaustion, then, he decided. It couldn't have been easy, fighting and then holding off most of a building.

Animal watched with interest as the three criminals slunk away, everyone's concentration on Raven and the child. The Titans were moving towards their comrade, but the boy's mother was faster.

He nearly fell off his rooftop in shock. The mother had just snatched her child from Raven's arms and was backing away with all haste, babbling something about souls and night fiends. Raven's expression was… Well, she didn't have an expression. She looked as if she'd been carved from marble, or maybe granite. She didn't respond to the mother's babbling, simply turned and walked towards Robin, where he lay.

Animal frowned, and stared at Raven's back. Interesting. Very interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The training room looked like every other room of its kind; sparring mats laid out in the middle of the floor, worn punching bags to one side, free weights and resistance machines to another, one whole wall taken up by mirrors.. This one was better than most, the weights and resistance machines top of the line, the punching bags almost new. There was less smell then he was used to, of sweat and faintly of blood.

Animal folded his arms and presented a bored, unimpressed face to the world. Unfortunately, the world- also known, at this moment in time, as Robin- wasn't paying attention.

"So, to start off with, we're going to go over what you know. I want you to attack me. Don't worry, you won't hurt me, I can block or avoid anything you try."

Animal rather doubted _that_, but beating Robin to a bloody pulp would not help his mission. "Normally, I'm not attacking," he pointed out, and mentally rolled his eyes. Well, that was true enough. Slade was faster, so he always started the training fights.

"But you do attack people, sometimes," Robin replied, his voice mild. "So, attack me. Shoes off, though, please."

Animal, halfway bent over to do just that, hid a scowl as he quickly stripped his feet bare. He shifted his stance a little bit, digging his toes into the faintly giving surface of the sparring mat, and struggled against a fierce grin. Apart from having to pretend to know abso-fucking-lutely nothing, this was going to be _fun_.

He flexed his fingers, and then lunged. Completely controlled, even if his arms were flailing and he was staggering a bit as he went.

Robin deflected the attack easily, and the next one. He blocked the fist to the face, and ignored the purposely enraged demand that he _fight back, damn it!_

Animal backed away, fists held up in a carefully calculated stance. He was going to enjoy this. Time to make the Boy Wonder's eyes pop.

Muscle rippled, skin shifted, and in a split second he was something completely different. The mangy, green dog lifted his head and growled. His vision was completely different now; Robin was blurred, like someone had laid a layer of gauze over Animal's eyes. Movement was sharp and he was focused on it before he'd known it.

Robin stepped back, once. That was all Animal needed.

With a sound halfway between a growling demon and a howling wolf, he launched himself at Robin. The hero managed to jump out of the way, but Animal followed.

It was hard to think, as a dog. Instincts were more prevalent, sights and sounds and smells mingling to muck up his brain. Robin moved, he moved to intercept, no directions needed. He wanted to bite something. Robin smelt like something bitable.

The hero kept dancing around, somehow keeping away from Animal's jaws. The dog let out another horrific growl, and made himself stop and think.

There was no time to think. Robin's foot impacted against his ribs, and Animal yelped. He promptly shifted back and clutched at the growing bruise.

"I thought you weren't going to fight back!" he yelled, in between wheezes. That had hurt, damn it! Dogs weren't built for being kicked!

"Are you, you know, _you_ again?" Robin asked, and crouched down beside Animal. He put one hand down on the changeling's shoulder.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Animal asked, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Okay, something he hadn't known before, or hadn't realized. Injuries carried over from each form, and not just the big ones. Little ones, like bruised ribs, hurt just as much when humanoid as when canine. He'd always thought that sort of thing healed away.

"When you transformed. You stopped being... _you_." Robin appeared to be staring, very earnestly, at Animal. Animal had to assume that, though, since there was a fucking _mask_ covering half of Robin's face.

"Riddles aren't my thing. What are you talking about?" Breathing was fine, but that side was going to be tender for a while. Animal got to his feet, and glowered at the Boy Wonder. Maybe he could scratch the guy's eyes out without ruining the mask. Something to consider for later.

"You were acting like a dog. A very angry dog." Robin stood up, and pressed one finger against Animal's forehead. Animal reminded himself not to bite. "There wasn't any thinking going on, was there?"

"So?" Animal asked, and backed away. This wasn't going the way he'd expected.

"How often do you spend time as an animal, anyway?"

"Humans _are_ animals, dipshit," Animal said, covering his unease with language Slade would've broken fingers over.

Robin sighed. "Non-human animals, then."

He honestly had to think about it. "Not all that often," he admitted. "I turn into a bat, sometimes, cats when I have to, but mostly... not really."

Robin hummed, and bounced on his toes. "I guess we'll have to practice, then. How are your ribs?"

"Sore."

His 'teacher' nodded. "I want you to know the basics of hand to hand, but I think it'd be better if you focused on your animal transformations."

Animal blinked. "_Why_?" he asked. "Won't that make it hard to teach me?"

Robin's lips twitched. "Well, yeah, but we might as well work with your strengths. Come on. I'll show you a few basics, then... Well, I'll think of something for your transformations."

0O0

Animal finished his report- it was really more of a rant- and sat down in his chair. He hadn't even noticed standing up. He flexed his claws against the armrests, and huffed. "So, after the disaster of a lesson I holed up in my room and came out only for dinner."

"I see." Slade leaned back and seemed to study his hands. "This plays in quite well with my plans for tonight."

"Plans?" Animal arched his eyebrow. "What sort of plans? Does it involve killing Robin, because I'm all for that."

"Really, Apprentice. There is a time and place for everything. Although, perhaps the Titan's leader will have an. . . accident during tonight's assessment."

Animal felt his eyes practically bug out of his face, and then grinned. "That's tonight?" he asked, nearly purring. "Oh, please say I can come too."

"You will observe for the first part of the fight, and then participate in the second. Understood?" Slade stood up and moved to the door. Animal rolled his head to keep his mentor in sight, and sighed.

"Keeping all the fun to yourself, huh? Fine. I'm in."

0O0

Apprentice adjusted his face mask, and did a careful check to make sure no skin or hair was showing. Everything was good, and all that was left was to sit and wait. Slade had a plan to get the Titans out of their Tower. All it took was one luckless patrol car to come by.

Slade was perched on a roof across the street from Apprentice. He wasn't trying to hide in the shadows, the way Apprentice was. Then again, Apprentice had spotted a marked police car easing along the road, and if he'd seen it, then so had Slade.

_Three,_ Apprentice thought, his muscles tensing. _Two,_ and the car was almost in place. _One_, and Slade jumped five stories to the road right in front of the police car. Something cracked, and it sounded like bone. Probably a leg or ankle, Apprentice thought, not at all worried. Slade's armor was designed to keep any broken bones in place while his healing went to work. Five minutes, and he'd be good as new.

In one minute, Slade had flipped the police car over onto the sidewalk and was leaning against the driver's door. The car's wheels were still slowly turning, like the last, dying twitches of a slain beast. It was beautiful, and the best part was, the Titans weren't even going to be the first called. The police were coming in force; he could already hear the sirens.

The 'fight' between Slade and the police was amusing to watch. Bullets just bounced off his armor, and with his enhanced strength it was easy for him to flip cars over one handed. Apprentice closed his eyes to savor the panicked shouts, and the calls for the Titans to come and 'deal with the lunatic'. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed something pink, on one of the rooftops overlooking the street.

Hawk eyes were better with distance then human eyes. Like having a built in pair of binoculars, ones he could put on or take off with just a little concentration.

Someone was peeking, he thought, amused. Someone with pink hair done up in little girl pig-tails. He was pretty sure she was one of the thieves Slade had hired, when they'd first started the job.

"If you're going to be paid to be flashy," he muttered, and chuckled. Ah, the Titans had arrived and the police had retreated.

Robin and Starfire leapt into battle, while Cyborg held back and fought with his cannons. Raven righted the still occupied, overturned police car and sent it on its way with a flick of black magic. Then she threw an unoccupied police car at Slade.

Slade caught it, and sent the car into Starfire, who promptly blew it up. Robin dodged the flaming shrapnel, and got into a fistfight with Slade. Slade promptly played dirty, grabbing Robin by the hair with one hand and sinking his other fist into the boy's gut. Then he threw Robin at Raven, and dodged Cyborg's shot with ease.

This was quality entertainment, Apprentice decided. Robin, the most irritating person with the worst superiority complex ever, barely able to stand up straight. Cyborg couldn't hit Slade, and Starfire was holding back. Raven didn't seem to understand that throwing things just wasn't working.

If the fight kept up at this pace, Slade would be finished in another five minutes, and Apprentice wouldn't have gotten a chance to beat Robin up. No way, he wanted a turn. All he had to do was get down to street level without turning into an animal. That'd just give the game away far too soon.

He stood up, and stretched. Five stories up, not so bad. Really simple, and he'd even manage to be more showy then Slade, for once.

A single deep breath, and then he dove out into the open air. He flipped over once, and came down feet first. The balls of his feet hit the pavement first, and he allowed his body to collapse forward into a roll. All the downward momentum turned into forward motion as he ran into the fight.

Apprentice focused on Robin. He dodged what the other Titans threw at him, which wasn't a lot. They were too busy with Slade.

"Apprentice," Slade said, sounding barely out of breath. Apprentice nodded, once, and then kicked Robin in the ribs before turning and running after his mentor. The Titans seemed divided on whether or not to chase them, and didn't make up their minds in time. Slade and Apprentice were gone, to them, and unless they managed to get really lucky, they wouldn't find them.

"Very good," Slade said, and stepped down an alley. "Make your way back to the tower."

"Of course."

"Next week, my Apprentice."

Apprentice nodded, and headed for the rooftops. He'd wear his costume back, hide it in his room. He knew how to do that, and who looked _inside_ a bed's box spring?

Once on the rooftops, he glanced around and noticed the pink haired criminal again. She was watching the Titans pick themselves up and dust themselves off. Unless he was misjudging her expression, she was amused.

Well. Couldn't hurt to talk to her, could it? Find out who she was and whether or not she was worth leaving alive?

Other people might have walked or run over to the thief's rooftop. Apprentice sauntered, making sure she could see he wasn't carrying anything more lethal then his own hands and feet.

"Isn't this a bit of a dangerous place for a little girl like you?" he asked, once he was close enough not to yell. He smirked, and waved one hand at the Titans down on the street below. "I'd think a thief would avoid the local costumed club."

"You're new in town, mini-Slade, but I know you've heard of recon. This rooftop happens to have the best view around, and you and your boss-man were putting on a show." Jinx's tone was acidic, but she didn't move from her perch at the edge of the roof. "If you do all your chores, do you actually get to beat up the Titans yourself?"

"Hostile, aren't you?" Apprentice moved closer, prowling like a great cat. "Is that your normal state of being, or just special for me?"

"It's my approach to life. You're one to talk, in any case, if you always insult people the first time you meet them. I wasn't even going to tell you that you look like a possessed mannequin, but now it just seems natural."

"Most people think the lack of facial features is intimidating," he pointed out, absurdly amused. Okay, she could live. She was amusing. "I guess I should point out that the pigtails make you look like a ten year old girl."

"The dress dates me more to about twelve, though, and being completely flat isn't helping matters," Jinx said bluntly. "How old do you think I am?"

"Hm..." He pretended to think about it, and smirked behind the mask. "Six. Or maybe seven, hard to tell with the pink." He waved one hand, and looked over the edge of the building. "Oh, lookie, the younglings are running home to lick their wounds. Nice."

"I have better things to do than dye my hair, and why would I bother? People think I'm a harmless little girl that couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag."

"You look the part." Apprentice sighed, and shook his head. "Hate to insult and run, but I've got places to be, people to kill. Have a nice night."

Jinx stood, while seeming to pay no attention to just how close her legs were to the edge of the roof. "Don't let me keep you, then." She studied him for a second before offering her hand. "I'm Jinx."

Apprentice tilted his head, then accepted her hand. "Apprentice. Nice to meet you, I'm sure. We'll certainly be seeing a lot of each other later. Stay away from my boss and you might live to see the end of the Titans." With that, he gave a polite half bow, turned, and ran across the rooftop. He had some Titans to beat to the tower.

Jinx watched the mannequin-man go. No name, no face, and no information... but he had manners. She'd expected him to knock her over when she held out her hand. She would have blasted him with a hex, but she would be on her butt and have no real control of the situation. What did he mean by staying away from his boss, though? Slade had come to her headmaster, and had asked for _her_ team.

Maybe he and Slade weren't as tight as she'd thought.

0O0

Raven rubbed at her upper arm, and allowed herself to slump. Exhaustion, her own, her teammates, battered at her mind. Yet her muscles were still twitching from an overload of adrenaline. She leaned back against the elevator's corner, and turned to look at her teammates.

Robin had come off the worst, and she had done what she could for him in the med bay before they all went up to the lived-in areas of the Tower. The strange, black garbed, blank masked fighter had focused entirely on Robin. The other fighter, in orange and black, had attacked Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire with too much ease. For once, Raven thought, she had come up against someone who could have faced all her power, and survived.

Starfire wasn't floating. She was standing, one arm around Robin's shoulders because he was drugged and having trouble remembering which way was 'up'. Actual bruises mottled her upper arms and shoulders, and the knuckles of her hands were split and bleeding. It was almost impossible to get Starfire to bleed.

Cyborg was half asleep. All of his injuries could wait until the morning, he'd said, and Raven was inclined to agree with him. She was the only person well enough to do anything about any of their injuries, and she didn't trust herself near the delicate technology that was Cyborg's limbs. He said he had shut off the pain receptors, and that he'd diverted excess energy to his core systems. If he needed help in the morning, Robin would no longer be affected by the pain killers.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Raven waited for everyone else to stumble out, and then did her best to walk with dignity. It was hard, when she was limping from a twisted ankle, but she did her best.

Animal was watching them.

Raven took a deep breath and looked up from the floor, at the kitchen archway. Animal stood, framed by the light, features invisible due to shadows. She couldn't read his emotions; they were too tangled with instincts. She had the feeling, though, that he was smiling.

_That's paranoid,_ Intellect said. Raven bit her lip and hurried to her room. She wasn't going to waste energy worrying about things she couldn't change. Right now, all she wanted was to read a good book, get a good night's sleep, and hope her ankle had healed by morning.

Once in the sanctuary of her room, she relaxed a little, and even found the strength to float over to her bookshelf. She wasn't interested in spell books. A good, Gothic Romance, or really good Fantasy, perhaps.

She selected a book with white leather binding. A rampaging dragon and the good sorcerer who sealed it away. That sounded just right to her.

Later that night, as she was drifting into sleep, she thought she heard someone chuckle. She rolled over and sighed. She'd have to talk to Animal about watching late night TV.


End file.
